NEW YORK & EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Forest Laboratories, Inc. (FRX), an international pharmaceutical company, and Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement for the development and commercialization of a fixed dosed combination (FDC) of Namenda XR® (memantine HCl extended release) and donepezil HCl as a once daily therapy for the treatment of moderate to severe dementia of the Alzheimer’s type in the United States. Under the agreement, Forest and Adamas will collaborate on the development of the FDC and Forest will have exclusive US commercialization rights. Forest is responsible for all development and commercialization activities. Namenda XR® is Forest’s FDA approved, once daily formulation of its successful Alzheimer’s therapy Namenda®. Based on a development plan agreed to by Adamas and the FDA, the FDC is expected to launch in 2015 following FDA approval. The product will be covered by multiple Adamas patents that extend to 2029. Forest sells Namenda in the U.S. under a 2000 license from Merz & Co. GmbH & Co.

Pursuant to the agreement, Forest will pay Adamas $65 million upfront and up to $95 million in future development and FDA approval milestones. Adamas will receive royalties on US net sales beginning 5 years after launch for FDC products and any additional memantine products for which Adamas’ patents are listed in the FDA’s Orange Book.

“We are pleased to enter into this partnership with Adamas, which will enable us to enhance our life cycle program for Namenda,” said Howard Solomon, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Forest. “Adamas has made impressive progress with its combination extended release memantine and donepezil program. Forest is the ideal company to complete the development of this product and commercialize it in the US, in light of our successful track record in the field of Alzheimer’s disease with Namenda. Over 60% of Namenda patients already take Namenda together with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor like donepezil, which creates a substantial market opportunity for this fixed dose combination product. Namenda and donepezil work in different ways and studies support that when used together they improve cognition, function, and behavior in some patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. This new fixed combination, which reduces the pill requirement from three tablets to one and the dosing frequency from two times per day to once per day, can benefit physicians, caregivers, and patients.”

Gregory T. Went, Chief Executive Officer of Adamas Pharmaceuticals said: “We are pleased to partner with Forest, the market leader in Alzheimer's products, to bring our fixed dose combination of extended release memantine and donepezil – the first such combination therapy for Alzheimer's disease – to the US market. This collaboration will accelerate this innovative product’s development towards a 2014 US NDA filing, and allow Adamas to focus our attention on the ex-US market for the product and to continue the ongoing development of NurelinTM, our late-stage product candidate for the treatment of CNS disorders, including Parkinson's disease.”

About Adamas Pharmaceuticals

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, based in Emeryville, California with operations in Bangalore, India, is the leading developer of aminoadamantane-based therapeutics for CNS disorders. The company’s research and development platform is focused on developing controlled release versions and optimized fixed dose combinations of aminoadamantanes to address major dosing and titration challenges that limit the use of currently available therapeutics. Adamas is advancing two programs from this platform. Nurelin (amantadine HCl extended release capsules) is currently in Phase 3 clinical studies, initially for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson’s disease. A registration program is also underway for the fixed dose combination of memantine HCl extended release and donepezil HCl for Alzheimer’s disease. Both products are designed to improve tolerability and clinical efficacy, and to provide superior clinical and health economic benefits. For more information about Adamas, please visit www.adamaspharma.com.

About Forest Laboratories

Forest Laboratories’ (FRX) longstanding global partnerships and track record developing and marketing pharmaceutical products in the United States have yielded its well-established central nervous system and cardiovascular franchises and innovations in anti-infective, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and pain management medicine. Forest’s pipeline, the most robust in its history, includes product candidates in all stages of development across a wide range of therapeutic areas. Forest is headquartered in New York, NY. To learn more, visit www.FRX.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, the acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development and launch of new products, and the risk factors listed from time to time in Forest Laboratories' Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and any subsequent SEC filings. Forest assumes no obligation to update forward looking statements contained in this release to reflect new information or future events or developments.